The memoires of a Beauty

Epilogue

“L’histoire est un roman qui a été, le roman est une histoire qui aurait pu être.” (Concourt) I am a master of the unique art which, by its voracity, captures all others inside: the hidden way for being destiny’s lover, faith’s mistress, bizarre creature dedicated to both celestial beauty and aristocratic noblesse, who, never writing something immortal, never making paintings, nor songs or plays, turned herself into a masterpiece more magnificent than Hera’s entire myth: une

Louise was the only child of Amelie Gautreau.
Pierre Gautreau, John Singer Sargent, Gandara, and Amelie Gautrau are real characters, in a real Belle Epoque world I tried to recreate as right as possible

oeuvre d'art vivante. I am Madame Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, Sargent’s Madame X, La Gandara’s muse: hues of my notoriety passed over decades, up to vous - so plunge in history, in past, in the memoires of a woman as elegant, as picturesque and as balmy as 19th century Paris…

Join the Discussion

I absolutely LOVE the language you've used here. It flows really well, though I agree with some other comments about the French. I couldn't understand those lines where you used it. It's funny, because I just read a historical fiction novel that had to do with the French Revolution. But anyway, that's kind of off topic, except that I kind of wanted to praise your writing in that it kind of reminded me of the writing style of that book. Have you heard of The Scarlet Pimpernel?? Anyway, that's the... (more »)

thank you very much! when I'll publish the book I'll try to replace some of the French parts due to your comments of not understanding much of it:) i've almost finished the novel and your opinions really give me the faith I can publish it! thanks again! :)

(actually, I read the Scarlet Pimpernel, but I didn't like it so much- for those who love French books, I'd better recommend Dangerous Liaisons, Cheri or The Lady of the Camellias, which always inspired me)

It's really well written, but I often found myself getting lost in the narrative (I take Spanish, so I was LOST when they were speaking in French!). I also kind of got confused when the story started off, but I loved the writing style.

-I take french, so I could understand it, but for someone who has never taken it this would be very hard to read. I understand you wanting to incoperate french, but for the reader's sake I would stick to simple words, or make sure the reader can understand the exact meaning by the context.

-Since this is going to be a novel, I would put somekind of forword in the beginning just to explain, the time and place of the n... (more »)

i was thinking to make a last chapter in which to put pictures of the dresses and builindings present in the novel, followed by short historical description so that readers could imagine better the background!